Fluid-controlled friction-clutch device.



110,731,483.v PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

' .T. MATSON.

FLUID CONTROLLED FRICTION CLUTCH DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1902. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

110 MODEL.

FIGML 22' 2'2 I C 33/ C 33' 25 Z; I I 25 9 10 if Jg/rrW' WITNESSES= 'lIlVENTOBr ,No. 731,483. PATBNTED JUNE 23, 1903 T. MATSON.

FLUID CONTROLLED FRICTION CLUTCH DEVICE.- APRLIOAVTION FILED NOV. 17,1002. H0 MODEL- 2 snnnws-snnn'r 2.

WITNESSES:'

UNITED STATES 3 Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT @FFICE.

FLUID-CQNTROLLEDV FRlCTlON-CLUTCH DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Ifatent No. 731,483, dated June23, 1903.

Application filed November 1'7, 1902. Serial No. 131,618. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TAYLOR MATSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFluid-Con trolled Friction-Clutch Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fluidcontrolled the tion clutch devices, and has for its object to provide anefficient construction, whereby a part to be driven may be quickly andeffectively connected to a driving part. s g

As illustrated, the said device is employed for connecting the adjacentends of two shafts which are in alinement, whereby the shafts may becaused to rotate in unison, but it is to be understood that the deviceis not to be restricted to this particular purpose, as it is:

useful for many purposes and in many relations not herein set forth.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination, andarrangement of like contour.

3 designates a plate which is adapted to be fitted tothe outer annularedge of the wall 2, and connected theretoas by screws 3 as shown inFigure 2.

The wall-1 is providedwith a boss or hub 4, which hasman openingtherethrough, into which projects a one end of a driven shaft 5. Thesaid hub 4, and consequentlythe wall 1, are secured to the shaft 5 bymeans of setscrews 6, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, andconsequently rotate therewith when the same is rotated.

7 is a driving shaft which is in alinement with the shaft 5, and has oneand located in proximity to one end of the said shaft 5 and within thecasing A. The said shaft 7 passes loosely through a hub 8 upon the plate3. Rigidly secured upon the shaft 7, is an cecentric 9, and upon thelatter an eccentric strap 10 is borne, which has an arm-11. securedthereto and extending radially therefrom for a purpose to be hereinafterstated. Mounted upon the annular wall 2 ofthe casing A, are three hollowcylinders 12 having connection with a tubular and substantially circularpassage way l3,which extends almost entirely around the inner side ofthe said annular wall 2.

The end 14 of the said passage way is adapted to be closed by a liftingvalve 15, which ad- 'mits air through" the said end 14111130 a region 13is provided with an enlargement 18 having an opening therethrough intowhich is fitted a rotary valve 19, by means of which the end 19 of thecircular passage way is opened and closed.

As illustrated, said valve is rotated by means of the handle 19, but itis obvious that any other suitable means may be employed 1 for thispurpose.

20 is a piston which is adapted to be recip- Irocated in the cylinder 12by reason of its connection with the radial arm 11 extending from theeccentric strap 10. Reciprocation of the said radial arm 11 is efiectedby the rotation of the eccentric 9. Such reciprocation of the pistondraws the air or other fluid through the end 14 of the passage way 13into the region 16, and forces it beyond the valve 17 into the mainportion of the said passage way in a manner well understood.

Connected with the passage way 13 are cylinders 21 in which the pistons22 are located. Connected to the inner ends of said pistons 22 are thebrake shoes 23 which are adapted to bear upon the peripheral surfaces ofthe disks 24, which are rigidly se-' 1 cured to the shaft 7and areconcentric with respect thereto. There are two of these disks,

side of said eccentric. It is obvious, however, that this arrangementmay be altered, if desired.

The cylinders 12 and 21 may be secured to the inner side of the annularwall 2 of the casing A by any suitable means, such as screws 21 asshown.

The piston 20 and also the pistons 22 are constructed to fit closelywithin the cylinders through which they work, and are provided withsuitable packing 25, located upon the outer ends of the said pistons.The said pistons 20 and 22 are also provided with packing rings 26, asclearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. 1

It will be noted that the said cylinders 12 and 21 are provided withports 22 which constitute in part the passage way 13, previouslyreferredto.

27 is a hollow receptacle or reservoir located within the casing A andhaving connection with, and being supported by, the tubular passage way13. When the fluid is forced into the passage way 13, by means of thepumping action previously described, a portion of such fluid will enterinto the hollow receptacle 27, and will compress the air with which saidreceptacle 27 is normally filled. If any of the fluid should escape fromthe passage way 13, the expansion ofthe compressed air in the receptacle27 would force a portion of the fluidout of the said receptacle into thesaid passage way to compensate for the fluid which may have escaped. v

It is obvious that some means should be employed to permit slippage ofthe casing A and its contained mechanism with respect to theirassociated parts in order to prevent.

breakage whenthe load or resistance to be OYQXIQOIIIQTS greater than thecasing, its contained mechanism or associated mechanism, is capable ofsustaining. v

means employed for this purpose I designate a safe ty device which isshown at 28. g It consistsof a removable and adjustalrlepap 29 ofcup-like contour, and which isinscrewthreaded connection with a nipple30,, which issecured in an opening leading fromthe passage way 13. Thenipple 30 is j provid'edwitha valve seat 30. Located within thec'ap 29isa lift valve 31 adapted to cooperate with the valve seat 30, the saidvalve vbeing provided with a stem 3t which is guided in i tsrecipro'catory movement by a small opening in the closed end of the cap29.

Coiled about thevalve stem is a wire spring 1 32 which normally holdsthe valve down upon the valve seat 30'. If the expansive pressure of thefluid within the passage way 13 becomes greater than t he pressure ofthe spring, it is obvious that the valve will he raised and the pressurein the passage way thus maintaine'data predetermined maximum. The

maximum pressure in thefiuid passage way 13 isdeltermin'ed by thepressure of the spring 32. The .pressure of the said spring may beincreased or diminished by adjusting the cap 29 or the same result maybe secured by the Y sion power of this spring will determine the amountof the load or resistance which can be overcome by the device, and bythis means the device and its connected parts need not be subjected to astrain greater than they are capable of withstanding.

I have provided openings 33 which extend through the walls of thecylinders 21. The object of these openings is to render the deviceinoperative when the shoes 23 have become worn too badly for furtheruse. i

It is evident that when these shoes have worn to such an extent that theouter ends of the plugs 22 are within the said openings 33, that is tosay between the said openings and the peripheral surfaces of the disks24, the device will not operate.

When the valve 19 is open, the device is rendered inoperative becausethe fluid which is forced through the passage way13 by the action of thepumping piston 20 escapes through the open end 19 of the said passageway without eifecting the clamping of the brake shoes 23 upon the disks24, so that the shaft 5 is not rotated. Upon closure, however, of thesaid valve 19, the compression of the air or other fluid contained inthe passage way 14 forces the brake shoes 23 inward and clamps themagainst the disks 24 which are secured to and rotate in unison with thedriving shaft 7, whereby the shaft 5 is caused to assume a-similarmovement of rotation.

It will be understood that after closure of thevalve 19, and when theshaft 5 has attained a speed of rotation equal to that of shaft 7, thepumping action ceases because the casing A which is mounted on the shaft5 and the mechanism which is located within the said casing, an'dwhichis supported thereby, will have a movement in unison with the eccentric9 and the disks 24, which are rigidly secured to the. shaft 7. Relativemovement between the shafts 5 and 7 is necessary to occasionreciprocation of the piston 20.

In the operation of the device, a fluid such as air, oil, or water isemployed, and when eitherof the two last named fluids is employed, thecontact between the said wall 3 and the annular edge of the wall 2should be suificiently close to prevent the passage of the same'from thehollow casing. 7

If air is employed, it is obviously necessary to provide an opening orport, indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, through the walls of thecasing A to permit of the passage of air into the interior of saidcasing.

claim- It will be noted that if oil is used in this device, as theoperating fluid, the said device will be self-lubricating since byreason of its rotation the centrifugal force will cause the oil toassume a position in the outer annular portion of the casing A, as isobvious.

Having thus described my invention, I

1. The combination of a casing, a hollow cylinder secured to saidcasing, an open-ended passage way within said casing and supportedthereby and having connection with the said cylinder neans for closingthe ends of said passage way, a piston operating in the cylinder, and anelement with which said piston is adapted to cooperate, for the purposeset forth. 7

2. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the combination of a casing, saidcasing having an annular wall, an open-ended fluid passage way locatedwithin and supported upon the said, annular wall, means for closing theends of said passage way, hollow cylinders having connection with thesaid passage way, pistons operating in the said cylinders, and anelement with which said pistons are adapted to cooperate, for thepurpose set forth.

3. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the

combination of a casing, said casing having an annular wall, an openended fluid passage way located within and supported upon the saidannular wall, the said passage way extending substantially around thesides of said wall, means for closing the ends of said passage way,hollow cylinders connected with the said passage way, pistons operatingin said are adapted to cooperate, and means for forcing a fluid into thesaid fluid passage way.

4. In combination, a casing having an annular wall, an open-endedsubstantially circular fluid passage way located within and supportedupon said annular wall, means for closing the ends of said passage way,hollow cylinders supported upon said wall and having connection with thesaid fluid passage way, pistons operating in said cylinders, pumpingmechanism for forcing air or other fluid into said passage Way, meansfor opening and closing the ends of said passage way, and an elementwith which said pistons are adapted to cooperate, for the purpose setforth.

5. In combination, a casing having an annular wall, a fluid passage waylocated within and mounted upon said annular wall, hollow cylindersmounted upon said wall and having connection with the said fluid passageway, pistons mounted Within said openings, an element with which saidpistons are adapted to coiiperate, pumping mechanism for forcing a fluidinto said passage way and compressing it, means for opening and closingthe ends of said passage way, and a hollow receptacle having connectionwith said passage way and adapted to contain air under cornpression,whereby leakage from the said passage way is compensated.

6. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the combinationpf a casing, anopen ended fluid passage way located within said casing, means forpermanently closing one of the ends of said passage Way, means forforcing a fluid from the said casing into the other end. of the passageway, and subjecting it to pressure within said passage way, and meansfor rendering the said clutch device eifective as a driving mechanism,substantially as described.

7. In combination, a casing having an annular wall, an open ended fluidpassage way located within and secured to said wall, means for closingthe open ends of said passage way, hollow cylinders also secured to saidwall and having connection with the said passage Way, pistons locatedwithin said cylinders, a shaft, disks mounted upon said shaft, and brakeshoes connected to the said pistons and adapted to cooperate with theperipheries of the said disks, for the purpose set forth.

8. In combination, a casing having an annular wall, an open ended fluidpassage Way located within and secured to said wall, means for closingthe open ends of said passage way, hollow cylinders also secured to saidwall and having connection with the said passage way, pistons locatedwithin said passage way, a shaft, disks mounted upon said shaft, brakeshoes connected to the said plugs and adapted to cooperate with theperipheries of the said disks, an eccentric mounted upon the the saidstrap having connection with a pn mp- .ing piston, for the purpose setforth. cylinders, an element with which said pistons 1 9. Incombination, a casing, a fluid'passage way located therein and supportedthereupon, hollow cylinders also located within and supported upon saidcasing, and connecting with the said passage way, pistons located withinthe said openings, and means for rendering the device inoperative, saidmeans comprising openings through the walls of said cylinders, wherebywhen the outer ends of the said pistons have moved inward beyond theinner end of the said openings, the flnid from the said passage wayescapes into the casing.

10. The combination of a casing, hollow cylinders secured to saidcasing, an open ended passage way within said casin g and supportedthereby and having connection With the said cylinders, means for closingthe ends of said passage way so that it is adapted to confine a fluidunder pressure, pistons operating in the cylinders, and means associatedwith said passage way for limiting the pressure of the fluid, for thepurposeset forth.

11. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the combination of a casing, saidcasing having an annular wall, an open ended fluid passage way locatedwithin and supported upon the said annular wall, means for closing theends of said passage way so that it is adapted to confine a fluid underpressure therein, hollow cylinders having connection with the said IIOpassage way, pistons operating in the said cylinders, and meansassociated with said passage Way for limiting the pressure of the fluid,for the purpose set forth.

12. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the combination of a casing, saidcasing having an annular wall, an open-ended fluid passage way locatedwithin and supported upon the said annular wall, the said passage wayextending substantially around the side of said wall, means for closingthe ends of said passage way, hollow cylinders connected with the saidpassage way, pistons operating in said cylinders, means for forcing thefluid into the said fluid passage way, and means associated with thelatter to limit the pressure of the fluid, for the purpose set forth.

13. In a fluid pressure clutch device, the

combination of a casing, a discontinuous fluid passage way locatedwithin said casing, means for permanently closing one of the ends ofsaid passage way, means for forcing a fluid from the easing into theother end of the said passage way and subjecting it to pressure withinsaid passage way, a shaft, and means associated with said passage wayfor receiving pressure from the said fluid, the said means operating toconnect the clutch device and the shaft together, substantially asdescribed.

14. In combination,a easing, a fluid passage way located within saidcasing, the opposite ends of which open into the said casing, hollowcylinders also located within said casing and having connection with thesaid passage way, pistons mounted within said cylinders, brake shoesconnected to the said pistons, a shaft, disks mounted upon said shaftfor cooperation with the said brake shoes, a safety device supportedupon and carried by the said passage way, said device comprising anipple extending from the said passage way, and a cap connected to saidnipple, a valve located within said cap and adapted to close the outerend of said nipple, substantially as described.

15. In combination, a casing, a fluid passage way located therein,hollow cylinders also located within said casing and having connectionwith the said passage way, pistons located in said cylinders, means fortaking a fluid from the space within the casing and from outside thesaid passage way and forcing it into the latter, means associated withthe said passage way which is adapted to confine the said fluid underpressure therein, and means for determining the pressure of said fluidwhile in the passage way, substantially as described.

16. In combination, a casing, a fluid passage way located therein,hollow cylinders also located within said casing and having connectionwith the said passage way, pistons located in said cylinders, means fortaking a fluid from the space within the casing and from outside thesaid passage way and forcing it into the latter, means associated withthe said passage way which is adapted A to confine the said fluid underpressure there- 'in, means for determining the pressure of said fluidwhile in the passage way, said means comprising a nipple extending fromsaid passage way, and a spring pressed valve seated within the inner endof. said nipple, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereuntosigned my name this 15th day of November, A. D. 1902.

TAYLOR MATSON.

In presence of S. SALOME BROOKE, THos. K. LANCASTER.

